Skinnier PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef

PF Chang’s has become synonymous with great Chinese food when there is no time to experiment with the new local Chinese take out joint. In the time that it takes to to call and order ahead, you can make this super simple and classic Chinese take-out favorite. The bonus? It’s much healthier for you. Win/win situation I say!

Cooking Chinese food at home seems to be a pretty daunting task for most and they typically find themselves running away from their stoves and to their corner Chinese takeout place. The sheer multitude of ethnic ingredients can put anyone into a wild screaming frenzy. I I get it. Sometimes Asian food of any ethnicity can be intimidating.

I have a confession of my own:

Hi, my name is Mila and I used to eat take-out Monglian Beef from PF Chang’s on a regular basis. I am happy to say that it has been over 365 days since my last trip there. Is there a medallion or something I can get for my accomplishment?

No, how about a medallion for THIS accomplishment? This is a skinnified version of everyone’s favorite Mongolian beef.

This recipe for Mongolian Beef was born out of laziness not out of genius creativity. In fact, if I am being honest many of my recipes are and I am not ashamed 🙂 In fact the original recipe of this post…was on the blog since 2012. But the picture looked like this…

I was a splendid photographer wasn’t I? I created this dish in a hurry when I was home on maternity leave and had to have a dish for a pot luck Chinese New Year we were invited to, that has now become a yearly tradition. Truth be told, it’s another celebratory reason we use to get together, drink and eat. Hey a party is a party.

Digressing as usual…

Back then, I wanted to create my favorite Mongolian beef recipe from Pf Chang’s. And I based my recipe on the millions of Mongolian beef recipes in circulation on the web. Honestly though, the recipes were all pretty terrible. Overly sweet, overly salty. They were all missing that perfect umami component that is present in Mongolian beef. I tweaked the recipe a great deal while still staying loyal to the Chinese traditions of quick frying in the wok and using cornstarch to lightly dredge the meat.

It resulted in a recipe I was really proud to call my own. The hardest part really was getting that sweet and salty balance. After several attempts I had it. It was perfect. But not so skinny.

While there is a “quick-fry” technique, it is still being fried in oil. Not healthy.

Enter my laziness.

I was making this dish last week for the hubs dinner. And as I was about to delicately dredge my meat in corn starch, I realized I had a problem. I had no corn starch. None. I also did not have enough oil to fry it in.

A slew of profanities escaped my mouth as I wondered if I had enough time to grab the munchkin and run out the grocery store which was a 5 minute car ride away. A roll of thunder and a flash of lightening out my window told me that unless I had a drive thru grocery store I could hit (wow that’s a brilliant idea isn’t it?!?) I was SOL.

So I did what I do best, I improvised.

Chef lesson——> Fat+flour=Roux.

And it worked perfectly. If serving immediately it is absolutely fine, it still had its sheen. The difference is that if you plan on reheating it, the sauces loses a bit of it’s luster…but really who is concerned about that with their leftovers? Certainly not this girl. I ain’t got time for that.

No frying. No dredging and we still have great texture and flavor? That is my type of dish.

Skinnier PF Chang's Mongolian Beef

A healthier and faster version of the original PF Chang's takeout classic that combines fresh delicious flavors and a silky sauce.

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What People are Saying:

Absolutely can’t wait to make this soup. We’re going to have up to 10 inches of snow here and this will be a great warm- up after digging out my car! Thank you.

2018-02-20T18:53:58-05:00

Absolutely can’t wait to make this soup. We’re going to have up to 10 inches of snow here and this will be a great warm- up after digging out my car! Thank you.

https://girlandthekitchen.com/testimonials/11162/

This recipe was delicious and “do-able” even on a work nite! It was “fall off the bone” good. I do think I ended up with too much juice simply because I was afraid I’d burn them if I didn’t add just a little more vino. Thanks so much!

2018-02-20T18:54:08-05:00

This recipe was delicious and “do-able” even on a work nite! It was “fall off the bone” good. I do think I ended up with too much juice simply because I was afraid I’d burn them if I didn’t add just a little more vino. Thanks so much!

https://girlandthekitchen.com/testimonials/11163/

Mila, you’re a genius. This recipe couldn’t be anymore straight forward and simple with an outstanding finished product. Seriously, a child with a little supervision could make this.

2018-02-20T18:54:18-05:00

Mila, you’re a genius. This recipe couldn’t be anymore straight forward and simple with an outstanding finished product. Seriously, a child with a little supervision could make this.

https://girlandthekitchen.com/testimonials/11165/

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup was FANTASTIC! The broth is so flavorful and fresh tasting. Although the soup is lighter, it is still filling and super comforting. This will be added to my rotation for sure!

2018-02-20T18:53:44-05:00

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup was FANTASTIC! The broth is so flavorful and fresh tasting. Although the soup is lighter, it is still filling and super comforting. This will be added to my rotation for sure!

Comments

This is such a wonderful recipe! So many Asian recipes have a laundry list of ingredients so I love that you created such a flavor-packed dish with just a few great ingredients. This is perfect for a dinner party or just a quick weeknight dinner. Delicious as always, Mila. And your pictures are beautiful! Happy Friday my dear 🙂

Don’t you love “then and now” pictures? OK, so these photos are SMASHING! You rock big time 🙂 What is that backboard you are using?? Adore! I am going to do some major pinning!! (Seriously – skinny without compromise. I trust you!)

This looks amazing!! Healthy stir fries are my absolute favourite, but it is so hard to get them to taste anywhere near the same as those when you eat out – so thank you for doing the work for us! Your pictures are gorgeous here too – so vibrant x

Hi! I’m Mila, the Girl and the Kitchen. And I believe in Good Food. Done Right. Having worked in many incredible restaurant kitchens as a chef, I know what it takes to make delicious, wholesome food with simple ingredients and bright flavors! I believe that anyone can make great-tasting food by knowing a few tricks of the trade. Come along as I teach you to prepare incredibly tasty and wholesome meals made with simple ingredients that are loaded with flavor in no time at all!